“The term ‘heroic achievement’ is not the same as ‘heroic acts’. And there is a distinction between those terms. It’s not an act of heroism to survive. It’s commendable, it’s an achievement but it’s not heroism as an act.”
Darned if I can figure out how a non-hero has heroic achievements, let alone “For heroism while participating in aerial flight 26 October 1967 in North Vietnam...”
I had the citations, commendations and awards for McCain before you mentioned them here. I noted immediately the term for 'heroic achievement' and compared that to the manual which denotes precisely the usage of words involving 'hero' as nouns and adjectives. It's a big distinction because often there are events that seem to overlap.
McCain knows this. He was asked to respond this morning to false allegations that Trump had said he was not a hero. To his credit McCain told the truth because he knows there is no specific act of heroism cited in his record while a POW. He knows that Admiral Stockdale was the one that was specifically cited for acts of heroism.
The bottomline is that 'heroic achievement' is not the same as 'heroic act' which is identical to heroism as an act. In the first case it is an adjective, in the second case it is identical to the noun.
Here's an example citation for 'heroism' meaning 'heroic acts' that illustrate the distinction: The following is the citation for the Navy and Marine Corps Medal presented posthumously to Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Mark A. Mayo for his actions on March 24, 2014. The medal was awarded Aprikl 25, 2014 in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
CITATION: For heroism while serving at Naval Station Norfolk Security Detachment, Norfolk, Virginia on 24 March 2014. While performing his duties as Chief of the Guard, Petty Officer Mayo was alerted to a suspicious individual walking towards USS MAHAN (DDG-72) on Pier 1, Naval Station Norfolk.
Petty Officer Mayo pursued the individual up the brow of the ship while both he and the Quarterdeck watch-standers directed the individual to stop and provide identification.
Failing to comply, the individual approached the Quarterdeck, attacked and disarmed the Petty Officer of the Watch. After boarding the ship, Petty Officer Mayo realized that the Petty Officer of the Watch no longer had control of her weapon.
With complete and total disregard for his own personal safety, Petty Officer Mayo immediately placed himself between the Petty Officer of the Watch and the assailant.
While fearlessly engaging the assailant and shielding the Petty Officer of the Watch, Petty Officer Mayo was fatally wounded. His exceptionally brave actions saved the lives of four watch-standers and ensured the safety of the entire crew of USS MAHAN (DDG-72).
By his courageous and prompt actions in the face of great personal risk, Petty Officer Mayo prevented the loss of lives, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
For the President, JONATHAN W. GREENERT Admiral, United States Navy
No comparable narrative for heroism exists for John McCain but one comparable does exist for Admiral Stockdale.